BOOSTERS CHARITIES OF THE YEAR

We love to support our community and there is no better way to do this then helping those in need, we have decided to help 5 different local charities this year, with the hope of making a difference and bringing attention to the importance of these charities.

Each week we will be adding more information on our charities and what they do (in no particular order).

First up we have …..

THE HUGS FOUNDATION

Hugs is a Cornish registered charity (1175633) whose mission is to support people and animals in a way that benefits them both, creating a unique atmosphere of health and well-being for all in an inclusive, safe and nurturing environment. Our range of services include:

• Providing an alternative/additional well-being support for children, young people and their families who are experiencing a range of complex needs including social, emotional, physical, and mental ill health, trauma, domestic abuse, suicide ideation, isolation, poverty and non-school attendance. This project is called Hooves, Hearts and Mind Aligned. Our unique mix of support includes; animal assisted services working alongside our rescue animals, nature activities, outdoor learning, teambuilding, arts and crafts, forest based activities and practical skills, such as learning how to grow vegetables. We work in partnership with a number of schools, social workers, NHS CAMHS, Cornwall Council, parents and hospices.

• Providing well-being support to those who are unable to visit our rescue centre. We visit a minimum of 24 care homes over a year with our rescue animals, bringing happiness, hope and purpose back into residents’ lives and helping tackle loneliness and social inclusion, in turn, increasing their well-being. We constantly monitor our animal’s welfare to ensure they are always happy and healthy during their visits.

• Rescuing and rehabilitating horses, ponies and donkeys through individual programmes using ethical and empathic training techniques to create positive experiences for our rescues, enabling them to trust humans and build their confidence and finding the right match for their forever home.

Founded in 2017, we have now rescued over 210 horses, ponies and donkeys and an array of other animals along the way who now make up our youth well-being team. We have rehomed over 155 equines and supported over 750 children, young people, and their families through 6,800 hours of sessions.

We are one of the first organisations to be accepted onto the Human Equine Interaction Register UK (HEIR UK). With no regulations in the UK to protect both the service users that access organisations for support and the equines that work in therapeutic sessions, the register has been created to ensure all people involved in the field of human equine interactions operate credible, high quality, safe and ethical practice standards for their service provision. It is something we are incredibly passionate and proud to be part of. We are also members of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC), working with other charities to work together for better animal welfare.

If you would like to learn more about the Hugs Foundation, please visit https://hugsfoundation.org.uk/

Next up we have 

St Petrocs is a charity working to end homelessness in Cornwall, because every person has the right to a safe and secure home.

St Petrocs focus on the following four areas to achieve their mission:

• Preventing homelessness
• Making homelessness an exception
• Making the experience of homelessness short
• Supporting people out of homelessness for good

St Petrocs is all about people. Behind every number is a real person.

The number of people accessing our services is the highest now that it has ever been. As the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis and a shortage of affordable accommodation grows, our services are frequently working at maximum capacity. Last month (December) we worked with 168 people experiencing homelessness, 129 of whom slept outside during that month. In the same month we moved 45 people who were homeless into accommodation.

We supported 1357 people last year (2023), 7% more than in 2022, showing that the homelessness crisis is worsening in Cornwall. Homelessness tends to peak in the colder months, and we are currently running our Winter Services which runs from December through to the end of February and works to rapidly rehouse people, to make their experience of homelessness as short as possible. Last winter, 90% of all people that used our Winter Services were supported into longer term accommodation. 40% of these people moved into a St Petrocs' house.

As more people struggle to afford the essentials, including rent, prevention becomes a key area of our work. The longer someone stays on the street, the greater the risk they will be stuck without secure accommodation for the long term.

Last year

• We actively worked with 1,357 individuals across our service (with some accessing more than one service).

• 1126 people accessed services through our resettlement and outreach teams.

• Freshfield, our counselling service, received 396 calls to the helpline and delivered 949 counselling sessions.

• 360 people stayed in a St Petrocs house. The average length of stay of people who moved on last year was 32 weeks.

St Petrocs has…

• 3 community-based resource centres in Truro, Penzance, and Liskeard. These provide tailored housing advice and guidance, access to a GP, toilets, shower facilities, hot food, hot beverages, a postal service, bedding, clothing, and access to volunteer led activities.

• St Petrocs Outreach workers spanning the whole county.

• Freshfield 1-1 counselling and a telephone helpline.

• 24 properties providing supported accommodation across Cornwall with 165 residents living in them and a waiting list.

• A training and employment programme supporting people out of homelessness for good.

For more information visit www.stpetrocs.org.uk or call 01872 264153

Next up .......

Penhaligon’s Friends is the children’s bereavement charity for Cornwall and operates across the entire county. Last year we helped 1124 bereaved children come to terms with the death of a family member or close friend.

Our work is carried out in a combination of different ways; telephone support and guidance, resources and books, bespoke grief packs for children, regular memory days for families, monthly support groups for teens and families across the county, school and individual support.

In addition to our children’s and family services we provide high-quality training in child bereavement to an ever-widening range of professionals and volunteers. Penhaligon’s Friends has approximately 50 volunteers across the county and was proud to have won the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2010, the MBE for Charity Groups.

All our children’s and family services are provided free-of-charge and are on-going for as long as they are needed in each individual case.

We rely entirely upon grants and donations to ensure our charity is able to support those families that need us most.

For further information visit our website; www.penhaligonsfriends.org.uk

e mail enquiries@penhaligonsfriends.org.uk or contact us on 01209 215889/210624

Registered Charity Number; 1189323

Next up we have........

CLEAR has a vision for a community free from abuse and people flourishing after emotional trauma.

CLEAR is dedicated to the highest levels of care and support for people of all ages and all genders impacted by abuse and other emotional trauma. Their mission is to help children, young people and adults to heal from harm caused by abuse and emotional trauma and to prevent abuse from occurring.

The CLEAR for Business service helps increase employee wellbeing, supporting staff retention. CLEAR work alongside businesses to understand their specific needs and create tailored solutions to meet those requirements. Surpluses are reinvested into our charitable work providing therapy and counselling for children and adults across Cornwall.

CLEAR is proud to be a member of the Survivors Trust Survivors and is registered with the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) and all their counselling and therapy services are accredited by the BACP.

Find out more at www.clearsupport.net and follow @CLEARcornwall on Facebook, X, Instagram.

For more information on BOOSTERS CHARITIES OF THE YEAR talk to Boosters Ltd